Life & Work with Nikesha Nixon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikesha Nixon.

Hi Nikesha, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Nikesha Brown Nixon, formally known as Kesha Blush. I was born and raised in Mobile, AL. As a child, I knew I had a strong passion for making not only myself but other people feel beautiful. This triggered my passion and journey to what I didn’t know would eventually be my career!

I started doing hair at the age of 13 years old. This is the time I receive payments roughly around $10 to $30 for braids. These braids were not regular braids they were tiny and took me all day to complete at times! I knew I was old enough to know I was not getting paid as much for my hard work and time but also too young to be making that kind of money!

I used my twin sister as a practice doll and my family and friends as well to help me strengthen my talents. Being so young during a time where there was no social media and the first cell phone was actually invented made life for me harder. People didn’t know how to get in touch with me until they knocked on the door. Sometimes they would say, “Hey, you that girl that be doing everyone hair?!”

At the age of 15, my mother passed away. My whole world crumbled into pieces. I was completely lost not knowing how to cope with my pain. I neglected the one thing I knew that kept me mentally stable and free to be creative, be myself and that was styling hair.

I moved to Birmingham, AL with my aunt and life was a lot different for me. I couldn’t express my talents as much I wanted. During the summer of high school, I visited my older sister and cousin in Atlanta, GA and this is where my journey began. I intern at a salon and learned so much from how to properly apply relaxer to watching cutting techniques. I did told myself that’s it I’m going to school for hair!

When the conversation was brought up about not going to college, my aunt was not hearing that! I wanted to go to hair school but I also didn’t know if hair was going to actually be a career! She suggested I attend college and get experience on what exactly I wanted to do in life.

After I graduated high school, I was accepted into Alabama State University. I felt a strong sense of determination to step back into the hair life! I remember one day my roommate asked me to help her do a sew-in and I’m like a what? It was so new during that time people was not doing it only celebrities! I’m like I’ll try but I don’t want to stick you with that sharp needle!

It took me 6 hours to do her hair! I was so tired and over it like yes I’m not doing hair anymore! But then I loved it at the same time she received so many compliments and it motivated it! I then worked on my bestfriend’s hair and that’s when business as I knew it started!

I majored in Business Management and I knew that was the perfect studies for me. I just needed to figure out how this was going to tie into hair life. It was during a time where I made my business cards and flyers from classmates who design in CIS (computer information system) and I worked with so many people that I had a website created, took professional pictures and everything! During that time, no one I was around doing anything such as that! Some even laughed or didn’t think I was serious! I was super friendly as well. My personality is my name Kesha Blush.

Kesha Blush was form during college when I was figuring out this business side of me creating a name for myself so people can look me up or remember me! Kesha of course comes from Nikesha and Blush was a name I derived from thinking of a catchy word meaning to be happy and smile. Crazy to say before Kesha Blush my name was Ruddy2Blush!

I moved off campus because my clientele became larger than what I expected and began doing hair at home. After two years, I had to go to a salon. I knew in order to grow, I must change my environment and become what I wanted to be and that was a professional hairstylist.

Before I graduated, I found out I was pregnant and I was so scared that I instantly thought of many ways to make this hair career be bigger! I know I did not attend cosmetology school so I was stuck. Until one day, my brother told me about his barber who was opening a new shop and was looking for up and coming stylists. At that moment, I was scared to let them know I was pregnant but I also was scared that this could be my one chance of something that could help me become better.

I eventually worked and told the owner of my situation and we worked out a deal and the owner helped me receive my natural and barbering license! It was a true blessing and I’m so thankful for it! Being in salon environments helped me see what I needed and wanted out of my place when the time came.

Today I am a salon owner and I love it! I love working with people and helping them grow and they definitely help me grow as well! Social media engines have helped me along the way but I learn everything by myself! I didn’t have a YouTube or TikTok or anything to show me what to do but I did have people such as my siblings and my mom to motivate me because they also knew how to do hair but never did anyone else’s outside of our family but I watched, I learn and I mastered!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Omg, it has not been butterflies and rainbows! I remember days when I knew this hair career was a very big risk! The fact that I depended on this to pay my bills, take care of my children, food, and to live was very scary.

In the beauty industry, you receive money every day! Which for some people that’s a dream come true right? But guess what happens when you don’t work? Exactly! You don’t get paid! Or what happens when you don’t promote yourself enough to receive clients? You don’t get paid! It was a constant fight to find what I needed to do to keep myself skillful and relevant.

Receiving money everyday or at least knowing you could get it made very bad habits which I spent so much money I’m too ashamed to mention! But I do know one thing, I felt the pain when I didn’t have it and was so broke I had to call people and ask to borrow until I went to work the next day! Eventually, that became old because I was always the lender, not the borrower so I had to learn money management super quick!

Dealing with clients and different personalities was not so hard because I’ve always been super friendly and very understanding to people emotions and because of this also I’ve faced challenges as well. Some people along my journey were there only to use me and what I can give or do for them. Some clients also didn’t respect my time and had me working late nights with no tips! I had to create boundaries.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a creative hair artist at heart! I love styling hair whether it’s cutting, installing hair and treating natural hair.

I specialize in natural hair such as silk press treatments and hair growing treatments!

I’m known for my silk press at the moment because I give a lot of love and passion into seeing women’s faces who never love their natural beauty but when I do their real hair, it gives them their real self back! I really can’t explain the feeling but from what my clients and supporters say, “You’re the hair Goat!” I love that by the way, lol

I believe what sets me apart from others is my hard consistency and passion through my finished product! When I take pictures and post them, I know not everyone will like it or see it but I know I have a special group and new people on a daily that admires and give me so much encouragement and recommendations that my love for hair has grown even stronger!

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I love about Atlanta is that it’s a big city that explores opportunities for smaller business such as myself and in this generation and time, it gives girls that was my age a professional opportunity and guidance as well that I didn’t have growing up!

The only thing I don’t like about Atlanta is it’s a large competitive city and could be discouraging to entrepreneurs who fear failure or rejection. The city is not built for the weak if that’s ok to say, lol.

Contact Info:

• Email: Nikeshabrown12@yahoo.com
• Website: https://www.schedulicity.com/scheduling/BHSUN2
• Instagram: Blushedhair
• Facebook: Kesha Blush

Image Credits
Eugene Bates